Kristóf Szatmáry and Tran Quang Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnamese National Assembly, in December 2024
Kristóf Szatmáry
15/05/2025 06:00
One of the strong pillars of bilateral relations is the cooperation between the legislatures, which is close and dynamic despite the long geographical distance between both the deputies and the offices of the legislatures. Our parliamentary ties with Vietnam are the most intensive in Southeast Asia and are an example for our other cooperation.
The highest level of relations between the two Speakers is excellent, with visits and invitations exchanged regularly. Hungarian Speaker László Kövér has a standing invitation from Vietnam, which he tentatively scheduled for this autumn, in connection with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. We seek to maintain the high-level dialogue also at the Deputy Speakers’ level, with multiple outbound and inbound visits.
The Hungarian-Vietnamese Friendship Group was re-established after the 2022 elections, with a large cross-party membership committed to enhancing bilateral relations. The group includes twelve government party and seven opposition MPs representing various constituencies and committees. As Chairman of the Hungarian-Vietnamese Friendship Group, I have visited Hanoi – in this legislative period- twice, in 2023 and 2024, participating in high-level meetings and collaborating with Vietnamese counterparts.
A good example of the excellent cooperation between the two legislatures is the series of legislative seminars launched in April 2017, covering topics such as economic transformation, sustainable agriculture and food security, challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change action, as well as monitoring bilateral agreements.
Cooperation extends beyond Members of Parliaments to include legislative offices. This collaboration reached a higher level with a Cooperation Agreement signed in 2022. The Hungarian National Assembly also supports the Vietnamese community in Hungary, hosting events like the Vietnamese Women's Forum to promote cultural exchange and cooperation.
In summary, Hungarian-Vietnamese parliamentary relations are about active engagement, high-level dialogues, and a commitment to fostering bilateral cooperation through various initiatives and events.
The author is Chairman of the Hungary-Vietnam Friendship Group of the Hungarian Parliament